Man gets prison time for giving Amish boys beer, crashing into their buggy

An intoxicated and armed man who gave Amish teens beer then crashed into their buggy while screaming “Rumspringa” was recently sentenced to prison.

Thomas Candler Felts, 25, of Nottingham, Pennsylvania,was sentenced to a prison sentence of 30 days to six months for the bizarre event last year,the Lancaster County district attorney’s office announced Friday.

Felts encountered the Amish teens on Aug. 30 at a Turkey Hill store on Route 272 in Buck.

Felts began talking to a group of Amish boys with a horse-drawn buggy about “Rumspringa,” the period of adolescence when the Amish are allowed to pursue activities usually forbidden in their community before choosing to formally enter church as adults or to leave.

Prosecutors said Felts gave the boys cans of Yuengling and showed them his pistol before driving away in a red Dodge car.

Later, after the Amish group left in their buggy, Felts drove past them and screamed “Rumspringa” before suddenly stopping his vehicle, causing the buggy to crash into the car.

Felts then asked the Amish where his gun was, and they said they did not know.

No injuries were reported.

After the crash, Felts’ blood-alcohol level tested at .126 percent, far above the legal limit for drivers of .08 percent.

Felts was convicted of DUI and furnishing alcohol to minors.

“Assistant District Attorney Travis S. Anderson told the judge it was one of the most ‘bizarre’ DUI cases he’s ever seen,” the Lancaster County DA’s office said.

Felts’ sentence was partly based on hishaving no prior record, the DA’s office said.